Washing-machine.



Patented Aug. 28, I900. W. J. GEORGE. WASHING MACHINE. (Application filed Jun. 26. 1900.

2 Shouts Shae! I.

,063. Patented Aug 28, 1900.

w. J. GEORGE. WASHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 26, 1900.,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

I ture of a minimum amount of labor without the iloor by suitable vide a washing-machine of this character Urrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WASHING- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'

MACHINE.

657,063, dated August 28, 1900.

Application filed January 26, 1900. Serial No. 2,893. (N0 o T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WrLLL-m J. Gnoncu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful dashiug-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in washlug-machines.

One object of the present invention is to improve the construction of washing m.- chines and to provide a simple and comparatively-inexpensive one designed for domestic and laundry use and adapted for rapidly and thoroughly washing clothes at the expendiwcaring, tearing, or otherwise injuring the fabrics.

A further object of the invention is to proadapted to force air and steam'throug'h the clothes and capable of effectively rinsing the same to complete the washing operation.

The invent-ion consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully" described, illustrated in the aecon'ipanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

\ In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical seclionnl view of a washing-machine constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 1) is a horizontal sectional view on line 23 ii of Fig. l.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw ings.

l designates a vertical cylindrical receptacle designed to be constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material and provided with a top 2 and a bottom and supported and reinforced by top, bottonifand intermediate hoops. The receptacle is supported above legs -1 toenable a bucket l or other vessel to be placed beneath it, and it has a spigot 5 to enable its liquid content to be readily discharged into such vessel. 1 The top 3, which is locrted below the uppl l edges of the sides of the receptacle 1, is pro vidcd with a central opening and adapted to rcerir'c a lid 6, having a depending llange 7 and seated upon a ring 8, of cast metal or other suitable material, secured to the lower face of the top 2 and adapted to stiffen the same. The ring is provided with an annularrecess at its upper face to receive the lid, and the latter is preferably provided with a rubber gasket or ring 8 to provide a tight joint. The projecting upper edges of the sides of the receptacle 1 are adapted to receive a wringer, so that the water expelled from the clothes by the operation of wringing will run back into the receptacle. The receptacle may be provided with any suitable handles to enable it to be conveniently carried.

Mounted upon one side of the receptacle, on the exterior of the same, is an air-pump 5), preferably secured to the central and lower hoops and composed olf a vertical cylinder in and a piston 11, which has its rod 12 connected with an operating-lever 13 by a pitman or link 14:. The cylinder is provided at its bottom with a ball-valve M, and it is pro vided'at its top with openings to permit the air to pass into and out of the upper portion of the cylinder as the piston reciprocates. The operating-lever, which is substantially Lshaped or of bell-crank form, is fulcrumeil. at its angle on a suitable bracket or support 15, and it has one arm pivoted to the upper end of the connectinglink or pitman 1i, and its other end is provided with a suitable grip or handle whereby it is readily oscillated to reciprocate the piston of the air-pump.

The air-pump is connected at the center of its bottom directly beneath the valve-scat with an exhaust-pipe 16, and it is connected at its outer side with a discharge-pipe 17. The bracket or support 15, on which the operating-lever is fulcrumcd, consists of a plate secured to the upper face of the top L and provided with a pair of upwardly-extending arms, between which the lever is mounted. The suction-pipe or exhaust-pipe l preferably extends through the bottom of the re ccptacle i, being composed of an inner vertical portion 16" and an outer Lrshapcd portion extending horizontally beyond the re oepizn-le at the bottom thereof and vertically to the center of the bottom of the cylinder. The upper end of the suction or exhaust pipe is arranged close to the top of the receptacle 1-, and its greater portion is heated by the contents of the latter. The cxhnusbpipe is composed of suitable sections coupled to-- ICE 2 comes gether, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and it will be readily apparent that it may communicate with the upper portion of the receptacle by beingrextended into the same at any portion thereof. The dischargepipe, which extends from one side of the e'ylinder, as clearly illu .tratcd in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawxngs, is composed of inner and outer vertical portions and a horizontal connecting portion suitably coupled to the inner and outer portions.v The inner por tion is provided with a nipple or sleeve 18, engaging a collar 19 and forming a valve-seat at its upper end to receive a ball-valve 20. The ball-valve 20 is arranged within a perforated cage or cap 2I','of'cylindrical form, interiorl y threaded at the bottom and screwing on the projecting portion of the sleeve or nipple.

The operation of washing is eftected by first soaking, the clothes or other fabrics in cold water, which is drawn off through the spigot after the fabrics are thoroughly soaked. 'lhe receptacle is. then supplied with hot'water pntil it is about two-thirds full, and the pump is then operated On the upstroke of the piston a suction is greeted in the exhaust or suction pipe and hot air and steam are drawn into the cylinder. The downstrolre of the piston closes the valve 14 and forces the hot air and steam through the discharge-spout into the receptacle 1 at the bottom thereof. This produces a continuous circulation of hot air and steam, which results in agitating the clothes and forcing air and steam through them. The clothes are thus rapidly and .thoroughly washed without wearing, tearing,

or otherwise injuring them, and the washingmachine is especially adapted for operating on laces and analogous articles which cannot be washed in machines which rub or pound the fabrics. After being operated on in this manner the clothes are passed through the wringer (not shown) and the hot water is drawn olf through thespigot 5. The clothes are again placed into the receptacle and subjected to cold water and to the action of the air-pump, by which they are thoroughly rinsed, so that after they are again passed through the wringer the operation of washing is completed.

The receptacle when the washing-machine is designed for laundry use may be connected with a boiler for supplying hot water, and pipe connections may be provided for sugiplying cold water, and either a single or i a cubic action air-pump may be employed, together with an engine for operating it.

It will be seen that the washing-machine is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction that it -is capable of rapidly and thoroughly washing clothes with a minimum amhunt of labor and Without injuring the fabrics, and that it is especially designed for pump mounted on the exterior of the recep-'-.

tacle, an exhaust-pipe extending from the airpump to the upper portion of the rece tacle, and a discharge-pipe extending from t is air pump to the bottom of the receptacle, substantially as described.

' 2. A washing-machinecomprising a recep tacle provided with a lid or cover, an airpump mounted onthe exterior of the receptacle, an exhaust pipe extending from the airpump to the upper portion of the receptacle, a

diechargmpipe extending from the air-pumpto the bottom of. the receptacle, an L-shaped operating-lever fnlcrumed at its angle on the receptacle at the top thereof, and a pitman connecting the lever with thepiston-rod of the air-pump, substantially as described.

' 3. A washing-machine comprising a receptacle, a vertical cylinder ni'ounted on the ex terior of the receptacle and provided at its bottom with a valve, a piston operating in the cylinder and having a vertical piston-rod, an exhaust or suction pipe extending from the bottom of the cylinder through the bot tom of the receptacle to a point near the top thereof, a discharge-pipe extending from the cylinder to the bottom of the receptacle and provided with a valve, and operating mechanism connected with the piston-rod, substantially as described.

In testimony that} claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. WILLIAM J. GEORGE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM RAUon, F. B. S'rn'rn. 

